Street Mountain

Overview

The thirty-first highest of the Major Peaks in the Adirondacks Street and its near neighbour Nye are actually quite different climbs than the other Major Peaks. Characterized by open hardwood forest, of birch and elm and maple and its soft non-muddy trails. Though totally tree covered they do not have the usual dense cover of spruce and pine scrub that so characterizes the High Peaks.

This said not much can be seen from Street but there is a good view to the E and SE near the summit. It is a very nice climb to the top thanks to the very good trail work of the ADK 46ers. See the Tabletop entry for more details on why they are standardizing the trails.

At one time Street was one of the more difficult peaks to get to not because of isolation (it is actually the closet to civilization) or climbing difficulty but because of the tangled web of heard paths that crisscrossed the summit plateau and the approach trail. The National Guard, the Boy Scouts, the Alpine Club of Canada and many others have long used this area as a training ground for map and compass. Hence the multitude of heard paths. It actually is a good place to learn these skills due to these trails, because one learns to follow the compass not the trail. I know on my first and only visit there I needed my compass to get through this tangle of paths.

All guidebooks, except maybe the 2000 edition or the ADK guidebook, for the area are now frightfully out of date, as the many different trails to the plateau have been standardized to one the new trail. Because of this it is now most likely the easiest of the untrailed peaks to bag.

Like the old trail the new one starts at the W corner of Heart Lake and follows the old Nye Ski Trail but now there is a nice sign to guide you onto the trail. Simply follow it until it ends at Indian Pass Brook. You should cross the brook and pick up the new trail on the other side and from this point on you will basically shadow the small brook that comes down from the plateau between Street and Nye.

You will cover almost every type of ground from grassy meadows, soggy bogs, and open hardwood landscape and you will cross the brook a few times but the trail should be very easy to follow.

Eventually after about 1.75 miles you will come to an intersection on the plateau between Street and Nye and according to what I have been told there will be a tree clearly marked with S (Street) & N (Nye). Head to the left or S (for Street not South duh!) and about a 0.6 of a mile later across a little wet ground you will be on top of Street.

The majority of the confusing heardpaths have now been obliterated by the 46ers but some evidence of them are still around just stick to the main one and you should be Ok just remember that a map and compass never hurt anyone so it might still be a good thing to bring along.

Getting There

The Trailhead is Adirondack Loj where you can rent a room, and get a meal as well you will have to pay for parking and if you stay at Heart Lake pay for camping.

Red Tape

The area around Heart Lake is ADK proerty so you will have to pay a small fee to camp there. You best bet it to reserve a camp site at there are great throngs of people in the area.

As of June 30th, 2001 all parties regardless of size in the Eastern Zone (High Peaks) of the Park must fill in and possess a self-issuing "trip ticket," which may be obtained at the trailhead. People have been fined and turned around for not having one and at the more popular trailheads the Ranger on duty will not let you pass without one. This can cause some delays in getting onto the trail.

When To Climb

The best time is early fall just after the leaves have dropped (mid September) as you get a much better view of the area since the area is largely covered in hardwoods.

In early spring or after a severe cloudburst Indian Pass Brook can be a problem or even quite dangerous to cross

Camping

General rules for the Adirondacks

1) No Camping above 4,000 feet
2) No camping withing 150 feet of a stream or other water source except at a designated campsite.
3) No soap or washing withing 150 feet of water
4) Pack it in Pack it out is the rule for garbage
5) Only dead and down wood can be used for fires and set in a proper fire pit. ( local etiquette is to use a stove and not a fire)

Mountain Conditions

some good links

ADk 46ers
Adirondack Hiking Portal

What's In a Name

Another friend of pf Colvin who got his name stuck to a peak. This time Colvin quite rightly honours the author of the book “The Indian Pass” which at the time was a best seller and one of the reasons the park was saved. His name was Alfred Billings Street who was also the long time law librarian of the state of New York.

The book was very influential and aided in the preservation of the Adirondacks so I am given to understand . I would like to get a copy but have yet to come across one. Just want to know what it is about.

Images

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